Network traffic?

[asterroc]

Is there any way to monitor the total traffic on my wireless network, not just my own computer, w/o going to my upstairs neighbors and asking them what they're doing? My reason is that when I upload images to Flickr, it clogs the entire network, so I'd rather do this when I know they're not using the network. By default, during the M-F workday is safe, as usually no one but me is home then, but I'd like to know more directly.

ETA: I'm using a Mac

ETAA: I'm using Flickr Uploadr, and another option might be to limit its bandwidth. Does it use a different port from Firefox, and if so how can I figure that out and restrict it? I found that HTTP uses port 80, and have set it to high priority in the router. How can I find the port for a different application (Uploadr) so that I can set it to low priority? (Alternatively, I could just set this whole computer to low priority, but I'd rather not.)

Comments

[meredithanne42.livejournal.com]

Can you log into your router and check things out that way?

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

There's nothing that gives realtime usage information. I'm guessing I'll need to install some software.

[xoder.livejournal.com]

If you have a Linksys WRT54G (or similar) you can flash a fully functional Linux system into the firmware and use something like iftop over an SSH connection to the router.

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

I do not own the router (and yeah, it's something like that) so I do not want to change the firmware.

I'm editing the post above to give more info about the situation to see if there's another option available...

[kelsin.livejournal.com]

To echo the above post, the right way to do it is get a router you can replace the firmware on so you can monitor and put QOS on there. QOS is the best thing you can do. Uploading photos doesn't have to slow ANYTHING else down if web traffic gets priority. You're upload will take like a 5% hit to the speed and no one else will notice anything. It's how I can have bit torrents going in my apartment and Caitlin can still game and I can still web surf.

So if your router has quality of service settings check them out and see if they can do something to help. Most quality of service settings allow you to set uploads of > 512kb at a lower priority then uploads of < 512kb. That will keep web browsing fast and let you upload your photos are a lower priority.

If your router doesn't offer usage graphs and QOS controls then the only way to monitor is get your laptop to put it's wireless card in promiscuous mode and literally watch the web traffic. Something I don't know if the Mac's handle (often some wireless cards don't let you do this) and I honestly don't know how to do with macs either.

I'm sure the uploadr program uses port 80 as well. You can monitor your traffic to find that out. The best way is to low priority uploads of greater then 512kb like I mentioned below. See if your router has any option like that. If not then you will need to find out what port Uploadr uses or set your computer to low priority.

[kelsin.livejournal.com]

Yeah I posted as anonymous first, sorry about that :-(

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

I deleted the anonymous copy.

I have very minimal QOS controls - changing the priority of ports, and of individual computers. I can't find one that limits the priority of upload speeds or however I should describe what you mentioned. What I can do is if I'm uploading while others are around, I can put thiscomputer on low priority.

Getting a new router is low priority for me. T$'s supposed to be playing aroudn w/ the home network when he gets back from Seattle, but I doubt he'll do that either.

[kelsin.livejournal.com]

The main way to get these features is to buy a router you can put one of the alternative firmwares on. Normal router just don't have those features because 99% of users are too stupid to use them even if they were there.

The one I use (Tomato) has real time graphs and usage logs, and has plenty of QOS controls which is nice.

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

Well, I gather my router is built on linux so i can install alternative firmware, but I dont' own it, so I don't want to. Oh well.

[dmp81.livejournal.com]

if you turn on the firewall in preferences and have it notify you it should say "flikr uploader sending traffic on port whatever"

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

The firewall on the router is on and doesn't give notifications. The options it has are as follows:

Firewall
Firewall Protection: Enable Disable
Additional Filters
Filter Proxy Filter Cookies
Filter Java Applets Filter ActiveX
Block WAN Requests
Block Anonymous Internet Requests
Filter Multicast
Filter Internet NAT Redirection
Filter IDENT(Port 113)

And I don't know if OSX.4 has a built-in firewall the way that XP does. If it does, do you know how to turn it on?